Cascadia Weekly

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Through the Lens

From the searing deserts of Namibia to the soaring glacial moraines of deep Alaska and the saturated rainforests of the Olympic Coast, photographers Dennis Walton and John D’Onofrio present the trophies they’ve captured of photographic expeditions across the world’s great landscapes. Their work is both sweeping and personally intimate.

Walton has lived and travelled abroad for much if his life, photographing extensively in Burma, Tibet, Ladakh, Java, India, and Japan, where he captured

This Week

The Permanence of Variance

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

THE PERMANENCE OF VARIANCE: A remarkable schism opened between the afternoon and evening sessions of Bellingham City Council this week, although perhaps too few noticed.

The central puzzle facing the city—and indeed communities throughout the West and across the country—is the affordability of housing and its attendant concerns, as middle incomes have remained relatively flat while home prices continue to rise precipitously. The balance between what one earns and what one pays for a roof

Through the Lens

Exotic landscapes, far and near

By Tim Johnson · Wednesday, February 25, 2015

From the searing deserts of Namibia to the soaring glacial moraines of deep Alaska and the saturated rainforests of the Olympic Coast, photographers Dennis Walton and John D’Onofrio present the trophies they’ve captured of photographic expeditions across the world’s great landscapes. Their work is both sweeping and personally intimate.

Walton has lived and travelled abroad for much if his life, photographing extensively in Burma, Tibet, Ladakh, Java, India, and Japan, where he captured

Station Eleven

Weaving stories from gossamer thread

Reviewed by Lisa Gresham · Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven is one of those books that sweeps you up and doesn’t put you down until the last page is turned. I picked up a copy at the Whatcom Literacy Council Breakfast last November, where Nancy Pearl touted it as one of her recent favorites, a book that restored her “heretofore flagging faith that wonderful novels are still being written.” It languished on the coffee table for several months until I picked it up on a slow Sunday and became lost in it.

Challenge America

A world of learning

By Amy Kepferle · Wednesday, February 25, 2015

When Kuntz and Company founder Pamela Kuntz found out her dance and community organization had qualified for a $10,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) as part of a “Challenge America” competition, she and her crew promptly got things rolling. The first of three dance residencies takes place this week with both public performances and classes at local schools throughout Whatcom County.

Cascadia Weekly: What were the parameters of the “Challenge America” grant?Pamela

Red is Neutral

Collage and collaboration with Freddy Moran

By Stephen Hunter · Wednesday, February 25, 2015

“Freddy” Moran had been quilting for 20 years when, at 80, she thought she was burned out. Said her son: “Think what you can do in the next 20 years!” The result is her “Collage” exhibit at the La Conner Quilt & Textile Museum.

Here in the historic mansion atop the hill in the tiny artist town, you’ll discover fabric art from the 19th century to the present.

On the first floor, examine handmade clothing and quilts. Children’s frocks from the early 1900s remind us that once

Colophon Cafe

Comfort food with a history

Story and photo by Lauren Kramer · Wednesday, February 25, 2015

There are some restaurants that grab you by the heart and won’t let go. They offer that brilliant combination of consistently good comfort food, great service, a warm, ambient environment and a location that’s convenient and attractive. The Colophon Café nails every one of those.

We started coming back in 2003 on our first foray to Bellingham, with a new babe in an infant carseat and all the worries of first-time parenthood. By then the café had been open 18 years in Fairhaven’s

Song of the Sea

A selkie’s tale

Reviewed by Boyd van Hoeij · Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Song of the Sea is another satisfying smack in the face of computer-generated 3D animation from Irish director Tomm Moore, after his earlier, Oscar-nominated The Secret of Kells. Working with wondrous watercolor backgrounds and 2D animation in which the impressions of depth and perspective are almost exclusively suggested through overlapping flat surfaces, this pleasingly old-school item again relies on Irish folklore and legends to color a familiar story about a young boy venturing out into a

Howlin’ Rain

A new deal

By Carey Ross · Wednesday, February 25, 2015

I’ve been around musicians long enough to know that, whatever kind of music of whatever kind of genre they might create, they all tend to do it for similar reasons, generally speaking. It goes without saying that musicians have a creative itch they need to scratch, as well as a need to put forth what they’ve created into the world. Regardless what degree of stage fright they may feel, I think most musicians would agree that nothing feels quite like the support and validation they receive

Best of Bellingham

What's the best neighborhood? The one you live in, judging from this fiercely competitive category. With more than 2,400 entries in the Cascadia Weekly readers choice awards, every neighborhood was named again and again. But with so many terrific places--Trader Joe's, Hardware Sales, Kulshan Brewing Company, Jeckyl & Hyde, Homeskillet, on and on--Sunnyland comes out on top.

Today

High School Bands: After performing in festivals throughout Washington, the Mount Vernon High School bands and orchestras present a performance of music from their core repertoire at 7pm at McIntyre Hall, 2501 E. College Way. Tickets are $4 for students, $6 for seniors, and $8 for adults. more »

Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest: The Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest is accepting single-poem submissions from Whatcom County residents until March 31. Winners are invited to read their poems at a free public awards ceremony on Thurs., May 14, and winning poems are displayed for a year in front of the library and on WTA buses. Walk Award poems are displayed on plaques in front of the Bellingham Public Library for a year; placards of both Walk and Merit Award poems circulate in WTA buses throughout the county. See the guidelines more »

Sign Language Classes: The Hearing, Speech, and Deafness Center offers American Sign Language classes as a free service to the community from 12-1pm on the first three Tuesdays of each month in Bellingham. Participants are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. more »

All-Paces Run: Staffers and volunteers are always on hand to guide the way at the weekly All-Paces Run starting at 6pm every Tuesday at Fairhaven Runners, 1209 11th St. The runs are 20 minutes out and back on two key routes—by the water or through the woods. During these cold, dark months a headlamp or flashlight is required. Entry is free. more »

Avalanche Awareness: Find out where and why avalanches occur at an "Avalanche Awareness" clinic happening from 6-7:30pm at REI, 400 36th St. Attendees will learn to access local avalanche bulletins and weather reports, recognize basic signs of avalanche danger and avoid it, and find out more about local case histories. Register in advance for the free event. more »

The Elusive Mr. Pond: Author and historian Barry Gough shares stories from his historical tome The Elusive Mr. Pond at 7pm at Village Books, 1200 11th St. The book focuses on Peter Pond, a precursor to Lewis and Clark whose legendary exploits in the fur trade included a life shrouded in mystery. more »

University Choir Concert: Head to Western Washington University for a free performance by WWU's University Choir at 8pm at the school's Performing Arts Center Concert Hall. The show is open to the public. more »